


The Dominion

by FrostByte7



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: F/M, Thalmor, new storyline
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 21:23:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13016400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostByte7/pseuds/FrostByte7
Summary: Alduin is gone. Miraak is dead. Harkon's obsession brought his downfall. Those threatening Tamriel have been cut down by the Dragonborn. And now, an uneasy peace has fallen over Skyrim. But behind the quiet, there's a subtle force at work. One that is quietly building tensions between the factions at play in Skyrim and across Tamriel.





	The Dominion

The morning air was cool, and the sun had not yet risen. The weeds and greenery had a slight mildew on them, wetting his boots as he walked quietly through the underbrush. 

 

 _"It'll be too early for larger game, but with any luck I'll be able to bag a rabbit or two"_ , he thought to himself. Cynrick had awoken early that morning to beat the other poachers in the area to the small game. As a hunting novice in the rift, he'd started by laying traps to catch animals. To his surprise, they were gone the morning after he'd laid them.  _"Bunch of bums"_ , he thought to himself. Although it happened months ago, he was still annoyed by the thought of making such a stupid mistake.   
  
As he moved forward he spotted something and stopped, crouching and making himself harder to see. A rabbit poked its head out of the ground and was looking around cautiously, its nose working quickly to detect any threatening scent. It seemed to find its surroundings to be safe, and darted out of its burrow to a nearby bush, nibbling away at the tall grass below the bush. Cynrick raised his bow and squinted, concentrating on the rabbit. He held his breath, and let the arrow fly. It quietly whizzed through the air, and found its target cleanly in the rabbit's head.   
  
Cynrick let out his breath, and got up to collect his kill.  _"This should be enough"_ , he thought, as he set to work on the small animal. After he was done, he added it to his rucksack along with the wild pheasant he'd caught earlier. He set off to return to his home, a large manor he'd built himself a while ago. 

* * *

  
He walked with a quick pace for about ten minutes, and his home came into view. It was a handsome manor, made out of white stone brick and the same strangely gold-colored tile that comprised the rooftops of most of Skyrim's wealthier citizens. It was a large manor with a dining hall, several bedrooms, a library, an enchanting area, a blacksmith, an armory, and various other things, all fully staffed. Cynrick still remembered buying the plot of land, despite the Riften steward's warnings that it near a cave that was infested with Frostbite spiders. Apparently it put off all other prospective buyers, but Cynrick cleaned out the cave and bought the land. He built the house, and upon its completion decided to call it Solstice Manor.   
  
Cynrick walked through the gates and into the front courtyard. It was quiet in the early hours of the morning without the loud clanking of the blacksmith, or the earthy shoveling and planting of the alchemist.  _"Everyone's probably all still asleep, or preparing for the day ahead"_ , he thought to himself.   
  
He reached the front doors and opened one to go inside. As he set down his hunting gear down and took off his cloak, he noticed it felt warmer inside than usual. Cynrick walked past the entrance and into the main room. Serana was sitting comfortably by the fireplace. Her shoulder length black hair had a slight glow from the fireplace. She didn't seem to notice him coming in.   
  
Cynrick met Serana while on a mission for the Dawnguard, an organization of vampire hunters. He was investigating an attack on the Vigilants of Stendarr, a priesthood dedicated to fighting Daedric influence in Skyrim. He was told they were interested in something buried in a cave known as Dimhollow crypt. Deep inside the cave system, Cynrick came across a puzzle of some sort, involving braziers that held purple fire inside of them. When he solved the puzzle, a sarcophagus emerged from the ground and opened, revealing Serana inside. He learned that she was the daughter of some vampire lord,  _Harkon -_ who had some kind of twisted fantasy of blotting out the sun with a mythical bow, allowing vampires to roam unhindered. That led to a series of events that resulted in his death at the hands of the Dragonborn, and the splintering of vampires under his command.    
  
After that, Cynrick and Serana decided to travel together for a time. He enjoyed her company, and she wanted to see how Skyrim changed in the time that she'd been gone. Eventually, they grew close and started living together. But since the death of her father, Serana became comparatively reflective. She had a lot to think about, from her family to her vampirism, and would sometimes get lost in thought. She had, in her words, her own demons to deal with and needed time to sort things out. It was the reason why their relationship hadn't reached any further than it already had. Serana just wasn't emotionally available. Cynrick understood this, and accepted their relationship for what it was. He didn't like it, and wished things were different. But he accepted it, and never pushed their relationship to something she wasn't ready for. 

 

Cynrick walked towards the fireplace, putting his things down as he sat next to her. "'Morning", he said. "I'm surprised you're sitting by the fire. I thought you didn't like it".  
  
Serana looked at him and smiled. "I  _don't mind_ it", she corrected him. "And I thought you'd like it."  
  
He held his hands towards the fire, enjoying the heat. "It is nice, I suppose", he said.   
  
Cynrick warmed his hands for a while before remembering why he'd even gone hunting in the first place. He reached into his rucksack and pulled out the rabbit. "Got you something", he said, handing it to Serana.   
  
"Thanks. I'm thirsty", she said. Serana fed on the animal while Cynrick enjoyed the fire. There wasn't a noise to be heard in the house apart from the crackling of the fire. There was always something going on during the day, whether it was the cooks making food, the housekeepers cleaning, or the mages experimenting with soul gems in the enchanting room or accidentally setting some weak daedra loose inside the manor.  
  
Serana finished and placed the rabbit down. Cynrick took it and put it in his rucksack, wondering what he'd do with the dried animal. He was certain the hounds would like it. He could also throw it into a nearby pond filled with slaughterfish. They usually got rid of, well, anything he threw in there rather quickly.  
  
"Cynrick", Serana said. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure", he responded.   
  
"My vampirism. Does it ever... you know, bother you?" she asked.  
  
Cynrick rolled his eyes. "Haven't we been through this before?"  
  
"Yes, but that was a while ago. I'm talking about now", she said.  
  
"No, Serana. It doesn't bother me at all. And now that you're feeding on animals, I don't think it really bothers any of our staff either", he said.  
  
"Thanks", she said. "But I've been thinking lately. And I'm not sure I want to think of it as a gift anymore." She paused before continuing. "I mean sure, I feel different than when I was human. Stronger. Better with magic. But it tore my family apart." Serana looked as though she wanted to add more to what she'd said. After a brief pause, she continued. "I've been considering it, and maybe... maybe curing my vampirism will help me leave all that in the past.

Cynrick looked up, surprised at what she just said. "Curing it? That's a first. You've never talked about your condition as something to be cured."  
  
"I know", she said. "But after all that, I'm not so sure about all of it anymore."  
  
Cynrick thought for a moment. "Well... you'd lose some of your strength. You'd lose a little bit of your prowess with magic. But you could be your own person again. You could leave everything that happened in the past. Your condition doesn't have to define you, and curing it will make sure it doesn't." Cynrick smiled cheekily as he added, "And you could actually enjoy a fireplace, instead of  _not minding_ them."  
  
Serana smiled at his comment. "I think you might have a point there. And it would be nice to not be so thirsty all the time."  
  
"You know, if you want to do this, I'll fully support you. I'll do anything you need me to do", Cynrick said.   
  
She was silent for a while. He could tell she was seriously mulling it over. Cynrick had a strange feeling in his chest. He'd given up on talking about it, because Serana stonewalled him every time he brought it up. On the rare occasions she'd talk about it, she was usually defensive of her vampirism. But now, she was seriously considering curing herself. He was only slightly ashamed to admit that he was probably more excited about the idea than she was.   
  
There was a knock on the door. Cynrick got up and walked to it. He opened, and was greeted by a wide-eyed courier. "Hello. Got something I'm supposed to deliver to you." He searched in his bag. "Let's see here... Ah, a letter from Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun. And another from Jarl Elisif of Solitude. Looks like you have contacts in high places. That's it, got to go." Cynrick thanked the courier as he turned around and hit the road, with more deliveries to make. Cynrick closed the door and walked back to the fireplace, sitting back down next to Serana.   
  
Finally, Serana seemed to reach a decision. "I've decided. I'm going to get cured. I want to move on and finally have some peace of mind."  
  
"Well, when do you want to do it? I can start preparing now if you want", Cynrick said.  
  
Serana looked at him. "I want to do this alone. I know you want to come with me, but this is something I have to do on my own. Besides, the ritual for a daughter of Coldharbour? It's not pretty. That monster doesn't like losing one of his creations."  
  
"I've dealt with Molag Bal before. Let me come with you, Serana. You don't have to do this alone", Cynrick protested.   
  
"You're wrong. Look, we've spent a lot of time together. And I've enjoyed every minute of it. But I want to do this alone. I have to", she said.   
  
Cynrick was disappointed. "Alright. I understand. I don't like it, but I understand."  
  
"Thank you", Serana said. "I'm going to speak with Falion about it, the mage in morthal. I've heard he knows about these things."   
  
She stood up. "I'm going to leave for morthal right now. The sooner I get this done, the better." She started for the door but Cynrick stood up and caught her by the arm. "Wait", he said. He searched through a nearby drawer and pulled out a gold ruby necklace. It had the faint glow of an enchanted item. He gestured as to giving her the necklace. She held her hair back while he put it around her neck. "If you need me, shock the ruby with a spark. It's part of a pair, and I have the other one. It'll help me find you", he said.  
  
Serana smiled. "Thank you, I appreciate it. But I think I'll be fine."   
  
They walked to the door and Serana turned to Cynrick before reaching it. She pulled him in to a surprisingly warm embrace. They held each other for a bit before she pulled away. "Thanks. I'm glad you're here with me." She smiled and pulled her hood over her head as she stepped out the door.  
  
Cynrick walked back to the fireplace. Wanting to get his mind off Serana, he opened the letters the courier gave him.  _"Let's see what the Jarls want"_ , he thought to himself. He opened the letter from Jarl Balgruuf. It was a request for help on killing a group of bandits his men had been having trouble with. Apparently some slippery Orc bandit leader has been raiding farms and attacking merchants in the countryside while evading capture by the Jarl's men. Balgruuf has grown tired of the Orc and his group of bandits, and is fine with the brute being either dead or alive, as long as the problem is solved. He'd set a large bounty on the head of this bandit leader for 5,000 septims. An unusually large amount for such a job. Then, he opened the letter from Elisif. The widow of the High King Torygg requested a meeting with the Dragonborn, as she had a request only he could fulfill. The letter did not give details on the specifics of the request, only granting Cynrick a private audience with Elisif.   
  
"Looks like I'm headed out", he said to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first part of what I hope will be a series. I'm not sure yet if I'll actually commit to writing out these stories. I have some cool ideas, but I'll see where I go with them. Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
